10 Best Lightweight Running Shoes for Women

When it comes to choosing gears for your runs, you need to be as careful as you are while selecting a partner. This is because even your gears are your partners for the runs, and you do not want your partner to betray you while you are just about to cross that finish line.

Best Lightweight Running Shoes for Women – Quick Pick

If you’re in a hurry, here are our two favorite lightweight running shoes for women in this review.

Running shoes are among the basic and primary gears required for running. These bad boys will even determine your overall experience; and trust me when I say, with the right pair, your running will greatly improve.

In this article, we will be talking about the best running shoes for women, and we will be focusing on the light weight shoes.

Now of course you do not want your shoes to be bulky because that will slow you down.

But the range of lightweight running shoes is so high that it can be quite overwhelming in trying to search the right pair for yourself.

So, today I will present you with my top 10 picks for the best lightweight running shoes for women.

These shoes weigh 5.6 ounces. The light weight of these shoes help in running fast. These shoes have a heel to toe offset of 8mm.

The Nike Women’s Free Rn Flyknit Running Shoes are made up of high quality materials and hence feel durable. These shoes feature a single seam on the inside heel in order to provide a smooth feel to the user.

The underfoot cushioning of these shoes are responsive and supple. These shoes feature rubber soles.

One of the best features of the Nike Women’s Free Rn Flyknit Running Shoes is the fit of these shoes. These shoes have the capacity to fashion themselves as per the shape of your feet. Hence, the fit is extremely precise and snug. This further aids to boost yourrunning.

The Nike Women’s Free Rn Flyknit Running Shoes have a platform of 0.50 inches. The arch support provided by these shoes is excellent. What is more excellent is the breathability of these shoes. The top notch breathability allows your feet to remain dry and cool even after hours of running.

The Nike Women’s Free Rn Flyknit Running Shoes are extremely comfortable shoes. You can use them for everyday running or even for casual reasons. These shoes are easy to wear and take off as well.

And oh, just how cute are these shoes! The vibrant colors of these beauties appeal to the eyes so much so that you will not be able to contain yourself to wear these and head for that run.

How perfectly have these shoes been named? Why, but you do feel like you are on clouds whenever you have these sneakers on.

The On Women’s Cloudflow Sneakers are one of the most comfortable sneakers I have ever worn, and I can vouch that almost all of you will say the same about these beauties once you try them on. You can wear these sneakers throughout the day and still feel the same comfort you felt when you first put them on.

With a weight of 6.7 ounces, the On Women’s Cloudflow Sneakers offer good performance to the users. These shoes provide a good fit. They are easy to wear and take off.

The On Women’s Cloudflow Sneakers have a heel to toe offset of 6mm. These shoes have synthetic soles.

The quality of the materials used in these shoes feels high. You also have variety of color combinations to choose from.

The facets where the On Women’s Cloudflow Sneakers lack are the cushioning and support. These shoes do have a little bit of cushioning going around. But the Cloudflow Sneakers would be on another level had the cushioning and support been enhanced a bit.

Nevertheless, the On Women’s Cloudflow Sneakers are great value sneakers. And for beginners who want to start off with light runs, these running shoes may just be the one.

I own a pair of these in the Mint Green color and boy are these the most visually appealing shoes ever!

The Nike Women’s Revolution 3 Running Shoes are not just pretty on the outside, but they are also full of great features on the inside.

Starting off with the upper layer of the shoes, the mesh upper of the Nike Women’s Revolution 3 Running Shoes is extremely breathable. Your feet remains cool all the time.

These shoes have rubber outsole with great traction. The underlays in the vamp and toe tip of these shoes provide good support to the user.

The Nike Women’s Revolution 3 Running Shoes feature soft foam midsole. The cushioning of these shoes is very responsive, and is further enhanced by the horizontal bellows.

Another favorite thing of mine about the Nike Women’s Revolution 3 Running Shoes is the comfort offered. These shoes are one of the most comfortable ones among all the shoes I own, and trust me I own a lot of shoes.

Moving on, the heel to toe drop of these shoes is 10mm. These shoes weigh around 7.3 ounces.

The Nike Women’s Revolution 3 Running Shoes do have spacious toe box. So, these shoes are also suitable for anyone with wide feet.

The support provided is just ideal for everyday running. The fit is snug and comfortable.

The Nike Women’s Revolution 3 Running Shoes are priced at a very reasonable amount. And before I forget to say- there are tons of beautiful color combinations to choose from. So, hurry and order a pair of these today.

These shoes feature continental rubber sole which provides excellent grip, even in wet surfaces. These shoes are also equipped with torsion system for mid foot integrity.

The Adidas Women’s Performance Adizero Boston 6W Running Shoes are breathable. The cushioning of these shoes is extremely responsive.

One of the best things about the Adizero Boston 6W is that these shoes do not require any breaking in. They are comfortable right out of the box. So, you can start running in these as soon as you lay your hands on the product.

The Adidas Women’s Performance Adizero Boston 6W Running Shoes look stylish. These shoes are made from high quality materials.

These lightweight running shoes can also be used as trainer shoes or everyday shoes.

The Inov-8 Women’s X-Talon 212 Trail Running Shoes are as innovative as their name. These shoes are equipped with tons of great features- heel pull loop system, EVA midsole and DWR coating to name a few.

The Inov-8 Women’s X-Talon 212 Trail Running Shoes have synthetic soles. The injected EVA midsole is very responsive, though I do feel that the cushioning could have been taken up a notch for more comfort and support.

Nevertheless, the Inov-8 Women’s X-Talon 212 Trail Running Shoes are comfortable and do not cause any blisters or pain to the user.

These shoes have been made abrasion resistant. The excellent grip, when coupled with the DWR coating- which has made these shoes water repellent- allows you to wear them in wet climatic conditions without any worries.

The Inov-8 Women’s X-Talon 212 Trail Running Shoes provide a good fit to the user. These shoes weigh 7.5 ounces and have a heel to toe drop of 6mm.

The synthetic mesh upper and the Met Cradle webbing of the X-Talon 212 offer both security and breathability. These versatile shoes are fast and flexible, and hence help to better your overall performance.

I am more of a minimalist looks lover. So, I do not particularly dig the looks of the Inov-8 Women’s X-Talon 212 Trail Running Shoes because I feel like there is too much going on. But hey, to each their own. If you are someone who loves vibrant patterns, then the looks of these shoes may become holy grails to you.

On an overall, the Inov-8 Women’s X-Talon 212 Trail Running Shoes are excellent running shoes; they are worth the investment.

A pair which is sure to become your “go to” shoes is the Saucony Women’s Kineta Relay. These running shoes have a heel to toe offset of 4mm and weigh 5.2 ounces.

The Saucony Women’s Kineta Relay Running Shoes are extremely comfortable running shoes which require zero breaking in. They have a good fit, and are easy to wear and take off.

I loved the cushioning going around the shoes. The memory foam footbed provides a custom platform to each user. This greatly enhances the coziness of the shoes.

There is also EVA foam midsole cushioning in the Saucony Women’s Kineta Relay Running Shoes. These shoes feature graphic upper with tonal mesh window, which helps in air circulation.

You can use the Saucony Women’s Kineta Relay Running Shoes for either runs or everyday use. But keep in mind that the support provided by these shoes is not much- which is quite a bummer. So, I recommend the Kineta Relay for light runs only.

The Saucony Women’s Kineta Relay Running Shoes are very appealing to the eyes. They have a wide range of beautiful color combinations which is sure to make anyone yearn to have a pair for self.

The Merrell Women’s All Out Crush Light Trail Running Shoes weigh 6 ounces and have a heel to toe offset of 6mm. These shoes have rubber soles.

The cushioning in the Merrell Women’s All Out Crush Light Trail Running Shoes has been kept to minimal in order to decrease the weight of these shoes. As a result, the support offered by these may not be adequate for longer runs; stick to the safe side and use the All Out Crush Light on light or short runs only.

The Merrell Women’s All Out Crush Light Trail Running Shoes are comfortable. They have breathable mesh lining.

The traction is probably the strongest facets of these shoes; it is beyond exceptional.

The Merrell Women’s All Out Crush Light Trail Running Shoes are equipped with protective toe caps. These shoes also feature reflective details for increased visibility in low lights.

These shoes are true to their size. The shoes look very stylish and also come for a very reasonable price.

The Merrell Women’s All Out Crush Light Trail Running Shoes, however, have one main shortcoming. The construction of these shoes is poor and the shoes look vulnerable to abrasion, wearing and tearing.

The Under Armour Women’s Speedform Apollo 2 Running Shoes have been made with synthetic and mesh. These shoes have rubber soles.

The Under Armour Women’s Speedform Apollo 2 Running Shoes are equipped with foam infused heels which are very comfortable. In order to increase the support and comfort, these shoes feature smooth and ultrasonic welded seaming with Bemis tape.

Similarly, the perforated upper ultrasonic seal has made the shoes durable and breathable.

Why are Good Running Shoes Important?

Before we jump into the list, let us first expand our insight on the benefits of wearing the proper running shoes while running.

A lot of people ask me why we need “particular running shoes” for runs and why we cannot just wear the normal shoes.

One of the major reasons for this is because not all shoes will be able to provide you with the required support and comfort essential while running.

The chances of you spraining your legs increases while running compared to while walking. Hence, you will require more protection and security from the shoes. Similarly, you will also require optimum comfort so that your feet will not tire easily, or be the victim of pain and blisters.

The normal shoes are constructed in order to suffice your everyday needs, and hence do not possess the required features such as secured fit, protective toe cap, EVA midsole, heavy cushioning and improved arch support.

On the other hand, the running shoes have been specifically designed and constructed in order to ensure that not only are your feet protected and comfortable but your overall runs are also bettered. Hence, the running shoes will be equipped with all the aforementioned features.

Right running shoes not only help improve your ergonomics but also help you run for a longer period of time without tiring yourself.

The right running shoes will also act as a shield for your feet against harsh terrains and unforgiving weathers.

Getting blisters or injuring yourself by wearing the wrong pair of shoes feels like too much of a punishment, which you do not need to punish yourself with.

So, do your feet a favor and invest in the right pair of running shoes.

How to Choose the Right Running Shoes?

The first criteria for choosing the right lightweight running shoes for women is of course insuring that the shoes are light in nature. But apart from this elementary thing, some of the other aspects which you need to keep in mind are as follows.

Choose the Right Type

The first thing you will need to do is decide the terrains in which you will be doing most of your running. This is because running shoes are constructed as per the terrains they are meant to be worn in. There are mainly 3 kinds of running shoes on the basis of the terrains you wear them in. The first are the Road Running shoes which are meant to be worn while running on roads and pavements. These shoes are lightweight and flexible. The second kind of running shoes are the Trail Running shoes which offer more protection, extra grip and stability. This is because these shoes are worn in off-road areas such as rocky hills, muddy roads, harsh terrains and similar surfaces. The third type of shoes are the Cross Training shoes which are apt for wearing while working out or in the gym. These shoes provide more side support, thanks to their wider soles.

Materials

The second thing you want to pay attention to is the materials from which the running shoes have been made. Most of the running shoes are made from synthetic materials, nylon, mesh, etcetera. Synthetic shoes tend to be abrasion resistant, lightweight, quick drying, durable and comfortable. Nylon shoes are lightweight, durable and breathable. The kind of materials you prefer solely depends on you. Just ensure that the material is comfortable, does not cause any kind of irritation, requires little breaking in, is breathable, waterproof and lightweight.

Heel to Toe Offset

Another thing to consider is the heel to toe offset/drop of the running shoes. Heel to toe offset means the distance between the height of the heel and the height of the toe. There are also minimalist running shoes available, for minimal drop runners, which have zero drop. These are the shoes preferred by people who want their feet to be even labeled with the ground, with zero slope. Most of the running shoes have an offset of 0 to 8mm on an average. Some shoes may also have high heel to toe offset of 10mm to 12mm. The more the offset, the higher the slope. There is no hard and fast rule as to which heel to toe offset is better. It all depends on personal preference whether you want lower heel to toe offset in your shoes or higher.

Comfort

It goes without saying that your running shoes should be comfortable. You do not want the shoes to cause you any kind of pain or blisters. The running shoes should, hence, have optimum cushioning going around. The running shoes should also be adequately flexible.

Support and Stability

Similarly, support and stability are of utmost importance when it comes to running. Hence, the running shoes should be able to provide you with the required arch support. The running shoes should be balanced and improve your ergonomics.On a parallel note, the grip and stability offered by the running shoes should be ideal enough for you to wear them in the respective terrains. Most of the running shoes have rubber outsoles. These outsoles need to be protective with a tight grip and optimum traction. In case of Trail Running Shoes, the outsoles need to be thick and provide more underfoot protection to the user.

Midsoles

The midsoles of the running shoes need to be heavily cushioned. They should be responsive and comfortable. It is even better if the midsoles feature EVA (Ethylene Vinyl Acetate) technology for shock absorption or are foam infused for more comfort. There, however, should be no compromise on the lightness of the running shoes because of the heavy cushioning in the midsoles.

Other Features

Some other features which you may want to check for before purchasing running shoes include the looks, the width and size, the lacing system, the design, weatherproofness and other various features of the running shoes.

Top Pick

My top pick for the best lightweight running shoes for women is the Nike Women’s Free Rn Flyknit Running Shoes. The main reason for these shoes winning my verdict is because of the comfort, light weight and looks of theirs.

When I search a pair of running shoes for myself, I want those shoes to be comfortable with minimal weight but still be able to provide me with the required cushioning and support; and the Nike Women’s Free Rn Flyknit Running Shoes are able to do just that.

Not just that, but these shoes are also very good looking, and are sure to turn a lot of eyes towards you.

I hope today’s article has served you and aided you in finding the right lightweight running shoes for yourself.

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